Have you ever wondered why pop songs tend to be around three minutes long? This custom of the three-minute song actually dates back to the middle of the 20th century.
In the 1950s, the small 45 RPM record was favored by radio stations over larger long-playing (LP) records. This __1__ was mainly because 45s featured only one song per side, as opposed to the five or six on LPs, making it much easier for the DJ to locate the specific track they wanted to play.
Due to their small size, however, 45s couldn’t manage much more than three minutes of music per side. This restricted the length of songs and reinforced the brief airtime a song got on radio shows. Musicians who wanted to get their music __2__ on the radio had to adapt to this trend.
Photos: AdobeStock / 照片：AdobeStock
你是否曾想過，為什麼流行歌曲往往都大約三分鐘長呢？這個三分鐘歌曲的慣例實際上可追溯至二十世紀中期。
1950年代時，比起較大張的密紋唱片，廣播電臺更喜歡小巧的45轉黑膠唱片。這種偏好主要是因為45轉黑膠唱片每一面都只有一首歌，與擁有五或六首歌的密紋唱片不同，這讓DJ在找想要播放的特定樂曲時，變得更輕鬆得多。
不過由於它們容量很小，45轉黑膠唱片每一面無法置入長於三分鐘的音樂。這限制了歌曲的長度，也更強化了廣播節目中，一首歌能獲得的短暫播放時間。想要讓自己的音樂在電臺上播放的音樂家們就必須適應這個趨勢。
Photos: AdobeStock / 照片：AdobeStock
To be continued tomorrow（明日待續）
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Words in Use
1. persistence n. 持續
The persistence of the baby’s high fever worried her parents.
寶寶持續不斷的高燒讓她的雙親很擔心。
2. favor vt. 偏好
Most children favor junk food over vegetables.
多數孩童比起蔬菜，更喜歡垃圾食物。
3. feature vt. 以……為特色
We just received a set of stamps that features flowers and plants.
我們剛剛才收到一組以花和植物為特色的郵票。
Practical Phrases
1. date back to + 時間 回溯至……（某時）
This Catholic church dates back to the 15th century.
這座天主教教堂的歷史可回溯至十五世紀。
2. adapt to N/V-ing 適應……
It’s hard for Lucy to adapt to the busy life of the city.
露西很難適應城市緊張忙碌的生活。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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